Tesla has announced plans to launch a battery swap pilot program starting next week.

Tesla has announced plans to launch a battery swap pilot program starting next week.

According to the automaker, invited Model S owners will be given the opportunity to swap their car's batteryat a custom-built facility across the street from their Supercharger station in Harris Ranch, California.

Tesla didn't go into specifics but the battery swapping system will apparently be similar to the one they demonstrated last summer.

The company also said the battery swaps will be by appointment only and will cost "slightly less than a full tank of gasoline for a premium sedan." The entire process will take approximately three minutes - due to the new titanium and aluminum battery pack shields - but Tesla believes they can eventually reduce that time to under than a minute.

The pilot program is intended to assess demand and, if it proves popular, it could eventually be rolled out to additional locations.